أَلا رُبَّ ذي أَجَلٍ قَد حَضَر
كَثيرِ التَمَنّي قَليلِ الحَذَر
Alas! Many are those whose time is up
Yet they are desirous and little wary
إِذا هَزَّ في المَشيِ أَعطافَهُ
تَعَرَّفتَ في مَنكِبَيهِ البَطَر
When he sways his shoulders whilst walking
You recognise senility in his shoulders
يُؤَمِّلُ أَكثَرَ مِن عُمرِهِ
وَيَزدادُ يَوماً بِيَومٍ أَشَر
He hopes for more life than he has left
And with each day he grows more evil
وَيُمسي وَيُصبِحُ في نَفسِهِ
كَريمَ المَساعي عَظيمَ الخَطَر
Morn and eve he thinks himself
Noble in his pursuits, risky in his endeavours
تَكونُ لَهُ صَولَةٌ تُتَّقى
وَأَمرٌ يُطاعُ إِذا ما أَمَر
He commands awe and obedience
Whenever he issues a command
يَريشُ وَيَبري وَفي يَومِهِ
لَهُ شُغُلٌ شاغِلٌ لَو شَعَر
He is lively and cheerful, for his day
Keeps him busy, if he but knew
يَعُدُّ الغُرورَ وَيَبني القُصورَ
وَيَنسى الفَناءَ وَيَنسى القَدَر
He counts illusions and builds palaces
Forgetting mortality and fate
وَيَنسى القُرونَ وَرَيبَ المَنونِ
وَيَنسى الخُطوبَ وَيَنسى الغِيَر
Forgetting generations and the strokes of death
Forgetting sorrows and forgetting others
وَيَنسى شُهوراً تُحيلُ الأُمورَ
فَإِمّا بِخَيرٍ وَإِمّا بِشَرِّ
Forgetting months which change all matters
For good or for evil
يُجَرِّعُهُ الحِرصُ كَأسَ الفَنا
وَيَحمِلُهُ فَوقَ ظَهرِ الغَرَر
Greed makes him drink the cup of death
And carries him atop the back of treachery
وَكَم مِن مُلوكٍ عَهِدناهُمُ
تَفانوا وَنَحنُ مَعاً بِالأَثَر
How many kings we knew
Who passed away while we remained
أَما تَعجَبونَ لِأَهلِ القُبورِ
كَأَنَّهُمُ لَم يَكونوا بَشَر
Are you not surprised at the people of graves
As if they had never been mortals
أَخَيَّ أَضَعتَ أُموراً أَراكَ
لِنَفسِكَ فيها قَليلُ النَظَر
O brother, you neglected matters
In which you had little insight
فَحَتّى مَتى أَنتَ ذو صَبوَةٍ
كَأَن لَيسَ تَزدادُ فيها قِصَر
How long will you be heedless
As if senility does not increase your blindness
تُؤَمَّلُ في الأَرضِ طولَ الحَياةِ
وَعُمرُكَ يَزدادُ فيهِ قِصَر
You hope for a long life on earth
While your life grows ever shorter
أَرى لَكَ أَلّا تَمَلَّ الجِهازَ
لِقُربِ الرَحيلِ وَبُعدِ السَفَر
I see you do not weary of amassing belongings
Due to the proximity of travel and distance of the journey
وَأَن تَتَدَبَّرَ ماذا تَصيرُ
إِلَيهِ فَتُعمِلَ فيهِ الفِكَر
You should contemplate what your fate will be
And reflect on it
وَأَن تَستَخِفَّ بِدارِ الغُرورِ
وَأَن تَستَعِدَّ لِإِحدى الكُبَر
You should take the abode of illusions lightly
And prepare for one of the two grave abodes
هِيَ الدارُ دارُ الأَذى وَالقَذى
وَدارُ الفَناءِ وَدارُ الغَرَر
That home is the abode of woes and sorrows
The abode of mortality and treachery
وَلَو نِلتَها بِحَذافيرِها
لَمُتَّ وَلَم تَقضِ مِنها الوَطَر
Had you gained it in its entirety
You would die before crossing its threshold
لَعَمري لَقَد دَرَجَت قَبلَنا
قُرونٌ لَنا فيهِمُ مُعتَبَر
By my life, generations before us
Tread its path, providing lessons
فَيا لَيتَ شِعري أَبَعدَ المَشيبِ
سِوى المَوتِ مِن غائِبٍ يُنتَظَر
Oh, would that I knew, after grey hair
What is left but death still awaited
كَأَنَّكَ قَد صِرتَ في حُفرَةٍ
وَصارَ عَلَيكَ الثَرى وَالمَدَر
It is as if you are in a pit
With earth and shovel over you
فَلا تَنسَ يَوماً تُسَجّى عَلى
سَريرِكَ فَوقَ رِقابِ البَشَر
Never forget the day you will be laid
Upon your deathbed above the heads of mankind
وَقَدِّم لِذاكَ فَإِنَّ الفَتى
لَهُ ما يُقَدِّمُ لا ما يَذَر
And send ahead for that day
Since man only has what he puts forth, nothing held back
وَمَن يَكُ ذا سِعَةٍ في الغِنى
يُعَظَّم وَمَن يَفتَقِر يُحتَقَر
He who has ample wealth
Is respected, while the poor man is scorned
وَمَن يَكُ بِالدَهرِ ذا غِرَّةٍ
فَإِنّي مِنَ الدَهرِ عِندي خَبَر
And he who is fooled by fate
I have knowledge of fate
تَرى الدَهرَ يَضرُبُ أَمثالَهُ
لَنا وَيُرينا صُروفَ العِبَر
You see fate give us examples
And show us the turns of fate
فَلا تَأمَنَنَّ لَهُ عَثرَةً
فَكَم مِن كَريمٍ بِهِ قَد عَثَر
So do not feel safe from its stumbling
For many a noble man has stumbled over it
يَحولُ عَلى المَرءِ حَتّى تَرا
هُ يَشرَبُ بَعدَ الصَفاءِ الكَدَر
It turns on a man until you see
Him drinking bitterness after sweetness
وَحَتّى تَراهُ قَصيرَ الخُطى
بَطيءَ النُهوضِ كَليلَ النَظَر
Until you see him slow of pace
Sluggish to get up, bleary-eyed
أَيا مَن يُؤَمِّلُ طولَ الحَياةِ
وَطولُ الحَياةِ عَليهِ ضَرَر
O you who hopes for a long life
While a long life does you harm
إِذا ما كَبِرتَ وَبانَ الشَبابُ
فَلا خَيرَ في العَيشِ بَعدَ الكِبَر
When you are old and youth has gone
There is no good in living after old age
